The Perfect Layout

Month: November 2016

Now poised as the prime threat to the market dominance of Burt’s Bees, lip balm manufacturer EOS (the name stands for “Evolution of Smooth”) has come from its origins as a fledgling startup to become a $250 million titan and producer of the second-largest lip balm in the U.S. The company’s skyrocketing sales are so influential that Klime Research asserts EOS lip balm to be the sole driver for growth in the oral care market.

In an interview by fast Company, EOS’s founders credit the company’s success to its knack for innovation. While most contenders in the lip-balm market were content to mimic Chapstick’s traditional lip balm at a lower cost and quality, EOS opted to create a product tailored to the needs of its female consumers. In market research, EOS discovered that many prospective customers preferred the idea of round pots of lip balm, finding tubes easy to lose in handbags. Existing lip balm pots, though, required applying the balm with one’s fingers, which many customers found unhygienic. EOS responded by hiring a clay sculptor to design a new take on packaging that retained the appealing round pot like shape but applied the balm using the base in a familiar lipstick-like manner.

Giving the stranglehold industry giants had on the lip balm market, getting EOS balm onto stores shelves wasn’t easy, but a favorable meeting with a Walgreens buyer proved to be EOS’s big break. As with its in-house approach to package design, EOS insisted on creating its own tailored production facilities instead of contracting with a third-party manufacturer—a decision that allowed EOS to expand quickly to Ulta and compete against the leading lip balm firms. By recruiting millennial celebrities and beauty bloggers to create buzz and retaining a strong social media presence, EOS established itself in seven short years as a household name.

At some point in our day, we all have to stop and take a sip of water. It cools us down, sustains our energy, and refreshes us from the inside out. When you finally do reach for some water, youreallywant it to be good. Having to wonder whether or not your water is good, isn’t something that you have to worry about when it comes to Waiakea Water.

This is water that was locally sourced through the Mauna Loa volcano. The volcanic filtration process is one of the most natural ways to achieve the crisp taste that this brand is known for. The filtration process is also a major reason why Waiakea Springs is low in nitrates and other harmful contaminants. Learn more about Waiakea water: https://twitter.com/waiakea

Snowmelt and rain from the volcano is filtered naturally and from there the authentic, health and global consciousness of the team behind Waiakea takes over. Waiakea isn’t a company that’s just focused on making a profit, they’re focused on making a difference too. Every effort that the team behind Waiakea puts into the product is to ensure that they are delivering the best water, in the best possible way.

Waiakea is a company that doesn’t diminish a good product by using unethical or unsustainable operation practices. The bottling process for Waiakea is significantly less harmful for the environment and more cost friendly than the process for traditional plastic water bottling. Recycled materials are used and 90% less water is used in this BPA free bottling process. Also, over 90% less carbon emissions are used in comparison to the BPA plastic bottling process.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has recognized another company yet again for complying with their strict accreditation standards. Just last May, Securus Technologies received an A+ rating and accreditation from the BBB, a prestigious business institution that accredits businesses all over the world and allows consumers to find companies and brands that they can trust.

According to Danny De Hoyos, the company’s Senior VP of Operations, they have worked hand-in-hand with the BBB in Texas to achieve the A+ distinction they have received. In addition, the have also worked hard to attain formal accreditation which allows them to release credible information whether verbally, online, or in print form.

Securus Technologies is passionate and highly dedicated to providing the best customer service to their clients. In an effort to comply with and implement the BBB’s accreditation requirements, they created an in-house call center with over 200 call center representatives. This extension of their business allows them to accommodate around 25 million clients including their family members and friends.

Securus Technologies reps are trained to perform using the BBB’s standards as a guideline. They have been taught to build trust, advocate honesty, transparency, honor promises; and address disputes quickly and professionally. All of this is done while safeguarding the customer’s privacy and exercising integrity.

To date, the Securus call center has a 4.3 out of 5 satisfaction score. Calls average 11 seconds and have a 99% resolution rate. This goes to show the company’s dedication to their customers and their efforts to keep in line with the BBB’s standards.

According to de Hoyos, reaching the kind of accreditation status they have at the moment means that the BBB has successfully confirmed and verified that their company is the largest facility provider of full-spectrum solutions; having a team of over 1,300 representatives all over the country.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell can add yet another impressive accomplishment to her resume: a recurring role on a television show on Fox network.

“Star” is the new series by Lee Daniels, the director and producer behind “Precious” and “Monster Ball.” He’s also co-creator, executive producer and director of the smash hit television series, “Empire.”

The show, set to premiere in early 2017, is a musical drama about three talented young singers from Atlanta and their journey as they try to find success in the music industry. Other notable stars include Queen Latifah and Benjamin Bratt. Lenny Kravitz, the Grammy Award winner, is also set to be a guest star.

Naomi Campbell’s character, Rose Spencer, is a sophisticated, well-bred beauty from London, and the mother of one of the lead characters.

Naomi is no amateur when it comes to television. In 2013, she was a coach on the modelling competition show, “The Face,” which ran on the Oxygen network. Naomi was on the show for three seasons.

In fact, Naomi has been acting in television shows since the late eighties, taking small roles in hit sitcoms such as “The Cosby Show” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” More recently, she’s had guest roles in critically-acclaimed series such as “Empire” (also created by Daniels) and “American Horror Story: Hotel.”

Originally from South London, Naomi studied Ballet at the age of ten before beginning what would become a very high-profile modeling career, landing her first magazine cover at the age of 16 for British Elle, a fashion magazine.

Within just a couple years, Naomi was modeling for luxury fashion brands such as Versace and Yves St. Laurent. Her star only grew brighter from there, and she is considered one of the six original supermodels. By now, Naomi has appeared on countless magazine covers and in numerous ad campaigns for fashion companies.

Today, Naomi Campbell is more focused on acting and making television appearances. Having had much success on the small screen over the last couple decades, fans are eager to see her acting chops once again when “Star” premieres.

Though no official premiere date is set, Star will begin mid-season in 2017.

After the merger between Diversant and Info Technologies to form the new look Diversant in 2010, the IT world was left shaken. The specialists expressed their divided opinions about this merger with some predicting a highly optimistic future for the newly formed company while others remained skeptical about the move.

On paper, the coming together of these two decorated companies is the perfect marriage partnership. Both have had their fair share of success in their diverse fields in IT. In addition, both have different strengths. In theory, their complementary strengths will bring out the best in each other and form a complete entity that will possibly dominate the IT sector.

Diversant offers services such as direct hires, innovative working solutions, and IT staff augmentation. Diversant’s unique nature is that they tailor their services according to their clients’ various needs. When it comes to IT staff augmentation and staff placement, Diversant looks at the needs of its clients and uses their expertise to identify human talent that will meet the company’s needs.

Diversant acts as a middle ground between clients and workers. They have created a platform that allows clients to source the best talent while at the same time allowing talents to pick firms that will utilize their skills to the full potential. Being the middle ground, Diversant ensures it keeps both the clients and workers happy.

John Goullet began his college education in 1979. He attended Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania where he graduated in 1983 with a computer science degree. After working for several IT firms and gaining valuable experience, he branched out and founded Info Technologies in 1994. Info Technologies grew to a value of over $30 million by 1999. After 15 years of managing Info Technologies, John and Gene Waddy decided to merge their companies to form Diversant in 2010. Since the merger, he assumed the principal position and until to date continues to serve in the company.

The education startup ClassDojo has recently completed a Series B round of funding worth $22 million, according to reports. The money will be used to further develop their communication platform that helps teachers and parents stay in communication throughout the school year.

ClassDojo aims to make parent-teacher meetings a thing of the past. By using the company’s app, parents can be in contact with their child’s teacher throughout the day. They can monitor progress and become aware of any issues that may arise. This way there will be no surprises when the student brings home a report card or progress report.

Co-founders Sam Chaudhary and Liam Don view the ClassDojo app as a tool that parents can use to help their children be more successful at school. With the app teachers can use the app to take and send photos or video to parents, documenting the student’s progress and achievements.

By creating a positive culture withing the classroom and schools, ClassDojo has seen their app being used by more and more teachers. Currently, the app is being used in 85,000 schools throughout the United States. That translates to the app being used in 2 out of 3 schools with the majority of active users teaching K-8 grades.

Instead, the company is looking to other ways to bring in revenue. New featured could be added to the app that will allow parents to purchase custom yearbooks, lesson plans, or study guides. There may even be a time when parents can pay for school related items like lunches, field trips or supplies directly from the app. This would eliminate the need for parents to go to the school to pay in person or risk sending a check along with the student.

Founded in 2011, the San Francisco-based company has raised just over $31 million and is becoming a major player in the education technology space. The most recent round of funding was led by General Catalyst with new investors including Reach Capital, GSV, and SignalFire.

Online reputation management is one of the most important things that business owners can concentrate on today. There are a lot of companies losing customers because of negative content about the business online. The good news is that there are a lot of people who are willing to help in this area. If you own a small business, it is essential to start making investments in reputation management. Running a small business is a lot of work, and if you want to take things to the next level this is an important area to concentrate on.

Running a Business

As a small business owner, there are a lot of things that you have to juggle. For many people, online reputation management is one of the last things on their mind. However, many customers today look at online reviews before making a purchasing decision. If you want to gain market share, you need to have positive content about your business online. Not doing so puts you at a disadvantage versus the competitors in the marketplace. Over the long term, investments in this area should yield higher sales and a stronger brand name.

Management Companies

There are a lot of Online Reputation Reviews management companies in the industry today. These companies can offer advice or software to help your business. A lot of times, it is simply about putting good content on the internet about your company. Online content writers are a great way to accomplish this. The more positive content about your business, the more likely it is that potential customers will see positive news. This is something that a lot of small business owners should realize. With the internet today, it is essential to control your online reputation.

Final Thoughts

Over the long term, making investments into your business is one of the most important parts of having sustained success. If you want to take your business to the next level, online reputation management is one way to do that. There are a variety of companies in the industry ready to work with you in this area.

Wengie outlines a list of ten do it yourself school supply ideas including individualizing the tools that one will use throughout the year. All the ideas are at minimal cost and easy to complete. Wengie initially introduces how to go about changing an ordinary highlighter to a multi-color highlighter. This can be accomplished by taking a blue and pink highlighter and rolling the tip of each on to a yellow highlighter. This creates a rainbow highlighter and can even be lightened by dipping it in a glass of water for a brief moment. Your writing tools can be changed as well so that they do not walk off of your desk. A pencil can be changed up by rolling it into differing colors of tape to personalize it. If one prefers a pen, use some glue and glitter to alter the look. First, pull out the pen and add glue to the cover. Once the glue is added, pour in the glitter and place the ink back into the cover for a unique looking pen.

Wengie notes that staples are a bit drab, yet one can use Sharpie to color them to add a bit of style to a book report. If one has a tough time keeping track of their USB, try attaching one of your erasers to it. Simply dig out a square hole in your favorite erase and then attach the USB with a bit of glue to create a two in one tool that no one can replicate. Many times pencils need to be sharpened, yet the shavings end up all over the place. Try using a Tic Tac dispenser and hot glue the sharpener to the lid for ease of ridding of the pencil shavings. If your paperclips are everyway, attach a magnet to your pencil dispenser so that clips are kept in their place. Wengie suggests creating a different look to a paper clip by simply bending it upward. When attached to pieces of paper a heart shape will be the end result. Try washing tape to differentiate tabs for your school binder, and add a piece of thick cardboard so Post It Notes can be attached to use for reminder messages.